First, thanks to DeConick. Second, on the meaning of this sentence from 'Liber Graduum:' we're all definitely going to work in this world, for living in this world isn't easy and requires effort. To sustain life, one needs to work to acquire the basics, food, shelter, etc. Its quite a leap to move from laboring to eternal life. How did this transpire in the mind of the author(s) of 'Liber Graduum' (Eng. "The Steps to Freedom')?I've read some about 'The Steps to Freedom' in "Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies" published by Catholic Univ. of America. This is a 4th-5th cent. monastic treatise in Syriac. Monks labor, whether it's cultivating vegetables or copying written works for the immediate goal of sustaining the community, but also for the greater goal of attaining everlasting life. Their hands may be stained with ink or dirt, but their minds are in heaven, so to speak. My first thought on reading this sentence, posted by Professor DeConick, was recollection of Jesus' saying in John 6: 27 - Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for that which endures.